Complications
by Guardian Kitch
Summary: While attempting to perfect her latest trick, Rainbow Dash crashes into one of Sweet Apple Acres' Apple Trees, resulting in a sprained ankle. Grounded for a full day, Dash can't fly home, and so ends up spending the night with Applejack. Too bad things aren't that simple and straight forward. An Appledash FanFiction. Contains Femslash. Don't like it, don't read.
1. Chapter One: That's An Apple Tree

**Hello, everypony! After over a year, I'm back to writing once more. However, before you read this story, please read the following, as it's vital that you do so.**

**This story is _not _mine: in addition to the standard disclaimer, where I remind you that _My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic _belongs to Hasbro, not me, I must also inform you, rightfully so, that this story belongs not to me. In truth, _Complications _was originally written a few years ago by the amazingly talented writer, **Appledash99. **However, she was involved in a car crash in which she was fatally wounded, leaving this world before this story could be completed. As such, I have been given the amazing, special honor of re-writing this story, complete with the ending our late FanFiction comrade was never able to provide, authorization provided by her friend, **silverpotatoes. **So, when providing reviews, please remember, this is _not my _story. Thank you.**

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**ADDITIONAL STORIES BY **Guardian Kitch**:**

_**My Little Pony: Eye of the Storm**_

_**Star Wars: Jedi Wasteland**_

_**Gates of Terabithia**_

_**How Can I Help You To Say Goodbye?**_

_**Attack of Team Aqua**_

_**Always in Motion, The Future Is**_

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Applejack had just finished bucking her final apple tree of the day when a loud _CRASH_ rent the air around her, causing the young Earth Pony to jump slightly into the air before looking around for the cause of the disturbance. As she turned around, however, the mystery was immediately solved as she casually watched the cyan Pegasus named Rainbow Dash slide out of a broken branch and onto the ground below: it was apparent that she'd failed at performing her latest trick.

"Rainbow Dash! What in tarnation are yeh doin' to ma trees?"

"Sorry, AJ, I—ARAGH!" She finished with a scream of pain as she attempted to stretch out her wing and get back into the air.

"You okay, Sugarcube?"

"I—I think I hurt my wing—"

"Let meh take a gander at it." Applejack offered, trotting over to join her friend before closely examining the wounded appendage. After only a few, several seconds, however, she began laughing heartily.

"Wh—"

"This is just a sprain; it's not even broken."

"I-I guess I just hit that tree too hard." Rainbow Dash surmised, attempting to examine her wing herself.

"But AJ, this trick I'm perfecting is going to be _totally _awesome!"

"Well, yeh don't need ta see the doctor or anything, Ah reckon, but Ah wouldn't fly fer a few hours, just ter be safe, which means no more crashin' inta ma trees."

"Yeah yeah, whatever: nothing can ground Rainbow Dash! I'll be back out there as soon as I get a good night's sleep, and then I can finally finish perfecting my newest trick: the Wonderbolts are going to _love _this one! See, I go up and collect all of the clouds in the sky and then shoot down through them just as I make a Sonic Rainboom, making it rain _rainbows _instead of water."

"Ah sure would like ta see that, but Ah reckon that'll have ta wait: ya still need ta stay off that thar wing for at least a day, or ya might end up hurtin' it even more."

"Yeah yeah, I know the drill." Rainbow Dash answered gloomily. "Hang on…AJ, since when do you know how to take care of injured wings?"

"Ah'm not good just for buckin' trees, Rainbow." Applejack responded with a laugh. "Anywho, yeh need a spare room fer the night, as you'll not be able to fly up ta that fancy cloud house o' yers?"

"Sure, AJ," Rainbow Dash answered, sounding considerably happier upon hearing her friend's offer. "I could crash with you for the night; that'd be pretty cool, actually."

As the two pony friends began the brief trot across Sweet Apple Acres towards, the sun found itself slowly setting over the western horizon, casting a beautiful spectrum of gold, orange, red, blue, and violet light across the Equestrian skies, making the growing apples nearly shin, as though the golden light was coming from within them. Rainbow Dash, the farm pony noticed, still appeared to be slightly disheveled after crashing into the apple tree, but Applejack dismissed the notion of asking her friend about it almost immediately from her mind: Dash appeared, after all, to be in good enough spirits, judging by the expression on her face as she flexed the injured wing gingerly.

By the time the pair had reached the main house, Applejack was finding herself almost rolling in laughter as she watched her best friend's antics, as Dash had taken to making funny shapes and faces with the wing, almost acting as though she thought doing so might take the pain and injury from the stricken thing.

Only a minute after making their way into the house, just as Applejack had begun to show her guest to the spare room, however, a knock at the front door captured all of their attentions, the two young mares watching as Big Macintosh answered the door. When the slab of wood opened, the three ponies were greeted with the excited face of Applejack and Big Mac's cousin, Braeburn.

"Oh, Ah forgot yeh were comin'." Big Macintosh explained apologetically.

"Remember, ya got ma telegram from APPPPPLEOOOOSA the other day and invited meh ta come stay fer the week. I'm so excited ta be here in Ponyville with yeh, cuz': ever since AJ and her friends came APPPPPLEOOOOSA I have been dyin' ta return the favor and come here ta see you guys! I am gonna spend as much time as—"

Big Macintosh, however, cut off his overexcited cousin as he made to show him the guest room. "Ah'm gonna hit the sack, Braeburn, so Ah'll see ya tomorrow."

Applejack and Rainbow Dash stood there in silence for several long moments before turning to face each other, each mare realizing that Rainbow Dash was now short a place to sleep for the night.

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**And there you have it, the first chapter of an amazing story. Let me know what you thought, and please, _please_, stop by **Appledash99's** page to read the original version of this story, as it's completely worth it.**


	2. Chapter Two: Truth or Dare?

**So, ladies and gentlemen, here we have Chapter Two! I'm sorry it's taken so long to update a new chapter, especially given how short these chapters are, but, writing two fanfictions, working on a new novel, and college combined keeps me pretty busy. **

**Again, this is _not _my story, my intellectual property. It belongs to the awesome** Appledash99, **who, sadly, has passed away a few years ago. However, her best friend, her next-of-kin, we'll call her,** Silverpotatoes**, has given me permission to redo this story with edits, corrections, and other various twerks and such. So, here is the second chapter of _Complications_. If you love it, feel free to leave a review, but please, also go and show **Appledash99 **some love on her profile by leaving a review for her version as well.**

**As per usual, Hasbro owns _My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic_, not me.**

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**ADDITIONAL STORIES BY **Guardian Kitch**:**

_**My Little Pony: Eye of the Storm**_

_**Star Wars: Jedi Wasteland**_

_**Gates of Terabithia**_

_**How Can I Help You To Say Goodbye?**_

_**Attack of Team Aqua**_

_**Always in Motion, The Future Is**_

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_**Chapter Two: Truth or Dare?**_

Upon realizing that Rainbow Dash would be short a room for the duration of her stay with the Apple family, and agreeing that it was far too late in the day for them to search for an alternate way to get her home, Applejack and Rainbow Dash found themselves looking through the closets for a sleeping bag that the stricken Pegasus could use. When at last they found one, an old tattered orange thing with yellow stripes, they took it upstairs to AJ's room and spread it out across the floor at the foot of her bed. Once everything was situated for the impromptu sleepover, the pair then trotted back downstairs to find something for dinner.

"So, AJ, what's for food?"

"Ain't that just like yeh, Rainbow Dash? Always thinkin' 'bout food, always thinkin' with yer stomach."

"Hey, I'm a growing mare." Rainbow Dash pouted playfully as the pair entered the kitchen.

"A growin' pain in ma flank, more like it." Applejack laughed. "And ta answer yer question, we're a havin' Zap Apple Sandwiches tonight.

"Hey, that sounds awesome." Rainbow responded happily. "I know I'm starving from all the flying I've done today."

"Ah reckon Ah'd be plum tuckered out too, with the day yeh've had. But yer problem ain't the flyin', Rainbow Dash, it's yer crashin' that did yeh in."

The two young mares entered the kitchen, their laughter echoing and bouncing off the old wooden walls as they continued shoving and pushing each other playfully with their hooves. While the injured Pegasus took her seat at the table, Applejack went into the kitchen and made their sandwiches. Once done, she then brought a large plate overflowing with the oozing, delicious sandwiches, pausing just long enough for Rainbow Dash to take hers before sitting the food-laden plate on the kitchen table.

"TIME FOR SUPPER, EVERYPONY!" Applejack shouted. As though the extended clan were channeling some lingering Unicorn magic, the Earth Pony collection appeared quite suddenly, gathering around the table as they each happily took their food. The din of chatter remained light and happy as they all ate their fill of Zap Apple Sandwhiches. However, as the Apple family members soon began to take notice of, no pony ate as much as the pair of best friends, who, it became obviously clear, had turned the typically-normal activity into a bit of a contest, as though the pair had silently challenged one another to see who could eat the most.

"Why, I wish I was still a springy young'un." Granny Smith laughed as she finished her second sandwhich. "Back in meh day, I coulda give both ya young mares a run fer yer apples."

"Ee-yup."

"Ain't that right?! An Apple can put away any apple food quicker than ma's old mule friend woulda kicked yeh fer comin' up on him from behind." Braeburn laughed, getting in on the excitement.

"Yee-haw!" Apple Bloom added, gleefully watching the contest. "Ya might be awesome, Rainbow Dash, but ain't nopony ever beaten an Apple when it comes ta eatin' tha most Zap Apple sandwiches. Right, Big Macintosh?"

"Nope." Big Mac agreed.

However, within only a couple of minutes, the usually-silent workhorse had grabbed the plate of sandwiches and pulled them away from the battling friends just so that the rest of the clan could finish their own dinner before they ran out of sandwiches…not that it mattered much, as both Applejack and Rainbow Dash were now leaning over the table, dreadful looks on their face as they groaned, each rubbing her stomach with a free hoof.

Once they'd finished their food, the sizable gathering dissipated, with Rainbow Dash following Applejack back upstairs to her room.

"So, AJ," Dash continued after Applejack had closed the door. "We're not going to bed yet, are we?"

"Now Ah thought yeh said ya were plum tuckered, Rainbow Dash." AJ challenged.

"Well yeah, but it's still light outside. Besides, if this is going to be fun, we can't crash right after we eat."

"Oh yeah? What are yeh sayin'?"

"How about—I HAVE IT! How about a game of _Truth or Dare_?"

"Actually, Rainbow Dash, Ah reckon that sounds mighty darn fun. Okay, then, Rainbow Dash, you go first: Truth, are Dare?" She finished, suspecting she already knew the answer.

"Well duh!" Rainbow laughed. "Dare, of course; I mean, I _am _Rainbow Dash, after all; I'm the fastest flier in Equestria, I'm twenty percent—"

"Twenty percent cooler than anypony else in Equestria, Ah know, Dash, yeh say it _all_ the time. Hmmm…" She trailed off, her countrified brain hard at work to think of something that would throw her friend for a loop. "Ah got it! Ah dare ya ta go downstairs an' pour a cup o' ice water on ma brother."

Laughing, Rainbow Dash climbed back to her feet. "Hahahaha! This is gonna be too easy; he won't know what hit him."

With that declaration, Rainbow Dash walked over, opened the door, and disappeared. As Applejack waited for news of her completion of the assigned dare, Rainbow Dash trotted downstairs, her hooves _clattering _against the wooden floor and sending eerie echoes all around her, the house now empty as everypony had gone on with their afternoon plans. She did as instructed, getting a glass and filling it up, first with ice then with water, and then made her way through the old house until she'd reached the closed door of Big Macintosh's room. Slowly opening the door, she peered in, moving forward only when she'd found the big red stallion fast asleep in bed. Tipping across the room, Rainbow Dash moved slowly until she at last reached the bed. Then, seizing her opportunity, she spilled the contents of her cup over his snoozing head.

His eyes snapping open wildly, he let out an angry, surprised neigh that screamed shrilly throughout the house. Laughing off the brief moment of fright, Rainbow Dash, living up to her name, dashed out of the room and didn't stop racing until she was back at her friend's side.

"That wan'unt funny, yeh fillies!" Big Macintosh bellowed, as angry as either mare had ever heard him before. The two friends, however, were too busy laughing and giggling appreciatively to care for his words.

"Like I said: too easy, AJ." Rainbow Dash laughed, at last beginning to settle down. "Now, your turn: Truth, or Dare?"

Not one to be outdone by her flightful friend, Applejack glanced over at her friend, adopting a look of smug courage.

"Dare."

"I dare you to do the same thing, Applejack, only this time, do it to _Granny Smith_!"

"Are ya _crazy, _Rainbow Dash?"

"What's the matter, Applejack? _Chicken_?"

"Ain't nopony alive can call meh a coward. Ah'll be back before yeh can say Zap Apple Jam."

Once Applejack had returned minutes later, now sporting frayed hair and a slight lump on her head, courtesy of Granny Smith's walkin' stick, she proceeded to give Rainbow Dash her next challenge. Dash, then, upon successfully completing her dare, made to one-up Applejack, and so on and on the daring went, neither pony willing to back down from her friends increasingly-daunting task. From Dash doing a hoofstand, upside down, for three minutes, only for Applejack to then be forced into singing for _five _minutes, loud enough for the entire house to hear her…on and on it went, each dare slowly climbing in risk and humiliation. Finally, suddenly, however, it was Rainbow Dash who proved just how far their game had gone.

"Okay, then, Appeljack, let's see just how brave you _really _are."

"Oh yeah? What ya got, _Rainbow Dash_?"

"I dare you, AJ, to ride on my back the next time I fly."

A bead of sweat trickled down her face and another down the back of her neck as she realized just how dangerous this game had gotten, fully aware of the risks that could come with flying atop a Pegasus, especially one as daring and speedy as Rainbow Dash. Looking into her friend's maroon eyes, however, Applejack realized it'd be impossible for her to back down, especially when so close to her best friend and chief rival.

"Hehehe." She chuckled. "No problem; yer on!"

"Then let's go, _Earth _Pony!" Rainbow Dash laughed, leading her friend downstairs. Of course, it might have done them both to remember the single most important fact of the day: Rainbow Dash was grounded, a Pegasus who, albeit it for a single day, could not physically fly thanks to a recent Apple Tree crash.

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**So, what'd ya'll think? Feel free to leave me a review, and, while you're at it, go to **Appledash99's **profile and leave a review on the original story.**


	3. Chapter Three: Harvesting

**Hey everyone, here's Chapter Three. As usual, please remember that this amazing story belongs to the late** Appledash99, **not me; I'm simply lucky enough to have permission to rewrite and finish it. Also, as usual, I don't own _My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic._**

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**ADDITIONAL STORIES BY **Guardian Kitch**:**

_**My Little Pony: Eye of the Storm**_

_**Star Wars: Jedi Wasteland**_

_**Gates of Terabithia**_

_**How Can I Help You To Say Goodbye?**_

_**Attack of Team Aqua**_

_**Always in Motion, The Future Is**_

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_**Chapter Three: Harvesting**_

As Rainbow Dash prepared to take off from the windowsill of Applejack's bedroom, she paused, momentarily, looking around as though perhaps she'd forgotten something. The Earth Pony, still struggling to get fully comfortable and situated atop her friend-turned-steed, thought that perhaps her winged friend was having second thoughts. However, deciding, apparently, that she hadn't lost anything, the young Pegasus shook her head as she turned back to the task at hoof. Then, with Applejack still on top of her back, she jetted out into the night sky without so much as a second's hesitation.

Rainbow Dash, in the excitement of their game of "Truth or Dare", had lost sight of the fact that the whole reason she was at AJ's and not at home was because she'd hurt her wing earlier that day. Having forgotten this vital piece of information, she cried out in pain as those first sharp pangs spread through her. However, she clamped her mouth shut, hoping her friend hadn't heard. Applejack, though, had heard anyways.

"Rainbow, what's wrong?" She asked, concerned that their game had put too much pressure, literally _and _figuratively, on the other mare.

"Ummm…nothing!" She shouted, desperate, for reasons she couldn't even recognize, to convince Applejack that she was, indeed, fine.

"Rainbow Dash, you listen here; Ah want ya ta land right now, this very minute, ya hear me?"

"Awww, you'll be fine, AJ!" She shouted. "And besides, this was _your _dare, remember?"

Rainbow Dash was now visibly cringing from the pain of her wing's injury, but, stubbornly as ever, was refusing to comply with Applejack's demand that she land. With more than just a dare clearly on her mind, Rainbow being a prideful pony by nature, she did a loop around the orchards of Sweet Apple Acres, all while doing everything she could to keep from crashing. Though she'd not say so to AJ, she wasn't really all that used to carry somepony else on her back, especially when flying, at least, no pony heavier than a young filly. Somehow, despite her weakened state, Rainbow had managed to continue flying for several more moments around her friend's prized farm. Reaching the house once more, she turned skywards, preparing for a steep climb. By now, Applejack felt confident that she'd overcome her fear of flying as she was now enjoying the thrill that came with flight, a theory she soon proved. As they'd started gaining speed, a sudden sharp, loud cry of anguish rent the air as the pair began to immediately plummet. Applejack simply watched and took it in stride as they crashed into the house's front door, the force of two mares slamming the thing opened as they crashed into the living room beyond. AJ had pulled herself up and dusted herself, and had just turned to tease her friend about the crash, but the sudden appearance of a large, red workhorse put those thoughts to sleep early.

"What in tarnation is goin' on down here?" He asked angrily, one of the few times he ever spoke more than a word at a time. "Granny Smith is tryin' ta sleep, and so is Braeburn. Ya both need ta clean this mess up and get ta bed, _now_! An' no more pranks tonight, ya hear me?"

Still visibly angry, Big Macintosh disappeared once more, leaving the two mares alone as they began to do as AJ's older brother had instructed, though, not without the occasional shove and push as they continued teasing one another about the experience. Once done with cleaning up their mess, both mares went back upstairs to Applejack's room, where she took her bed while Rainbow Dash took her borrowed sleeping bag. They continued chatting and talking silently until, at long last, they both fell asleep.

Waking up the next morning, Applejack found her foot was slightly sore from the previous night's crash, but, given how the pure adrenaline had felt coming off of her first flight, she felt happy in the belief that it had been worth it. On the other hand, though, Rainbow's wing wasn't feeling as good; in fact, it seemed to be getting worse, and, though she would never confess to it, the looks of the injury didn't do the pain justice. However, waking an hour after her friend, Dash put the pain from her mind, refusing to look like a weakling.

"Hey AJ, shouldn't you be out bucking crops or harvesting trees?" Dash asked, stifling a yawn as she sat down at the kitchen table.

"Don't ya mean 'bucking trees and harvesting crops'?"

"Yeah, that too." She replied with another yawn.

"Well, yeah, I reckon so, but Ah gotta eat breakfast first, Sugarcube. You hungry?"

"Heck yeah, I'm _always _hungry. What's for breakfast?"

"Apple family Applesauce; ma own secret recipe. But, after breakfast, Ah gotta go buck some apple tress, so Ah don't know what yer gonna do; can stay here, if yeh want, give that wing o' yours time to heal."

"Actually, I kinda wanted to see what it's like to be a farm pony." Rainbow Dash confessed sheepishly, eyeing her friend with trepidation.

"Really now?" Applejack asked skeptically, unable to believe her friend would be willing to do anything even remotely work-related.

"Yeah. I mean, I don't even know how my best friend lives, and that just ain't right." Rainbow answered, explaining her motivation.

So, after breakfast, both ponies went out to the orchards, taking just enough time for Applejack to show her new farmhoof how to get the job done. As the morning progressed, AJ had to admit that, for a pony unused to the farm life, Rainbow Dash was actually doing fairly decent, her previous, albeit brief, experience previously, back when AJ had foolishly tried to harvest the entire orchard alone, notwithstanding. Of course, as per Rainbow's fashion, the moment Applejack praised her, even silently, in her own head, Rainbow Dash decided to change the game. By high noon, Rainbow Dash was clearly worn out.

"AJ, can I take a break?" Dash asked, failing to stifle a large yawn. Applejack, normally, would have kept going for several more hours, but the sight of her already-exhausted friend had quickly changed her mind. Besides, she added proudly, she had worked up a rather decent sweat already, and a hard sweat was always a good thing for a farm pony, as it meant they were working like they should be.

"Actually, Sugarcube, Ah reckon it is time fer lunch, so we both get a break. C'mon, let's eat."

While eating their lunch's sandwiches back at the house, however, Rainbow Dash kept dozing off, leading Applejack to conclude that, as she'd theorized earlier, the Pegasus's wing had yet to heal like it should.

"Rainbow, ya know, why don't yeh just go on back up ta ma room an' take yerself a nap? Ah'll be just fine on ma own."

"Okay, b-but—" She paused as she yawned once more. "You sure you'll be fine?"

"Of course Ah will, Sugarcube. Ah mean, Big Macintosh is out here too, and Ah don't usually have ya around, so yeah, go on."

Too tired to argue, Rainbow Dash nodded her thanks and then proceeded to climb the stairs. In Applejack's room once again, she found herself making for her sleeping bag, but stopped at the sight of her friend's empty, beckoning bed, a temptation the meteorologist was simply too tired and weak to ignore.

"What the hay; AJ isn't using it, so I'll just take a nap right there; be more comfortable that way too." She added, almost falling onto the bed. As she made contact with it, her maroon eyes closed, and Rainbow was out in a Dash, not even bothering to pull the blankets up over her.

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**So, what'd ya'll think? Feel free to leave a review, and go check out the original version on **Appledash99's **profile.**


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